Made the sandwich today, ate it and forgot to take pics. This is not for the person who likes bland food!!

Recipe for One:

One medium (one in photo above that I took would make Recipe for Two) eggplant.

Peel the eggplant and of course remove the stem.

Slice 1/2 inch slices horizontally starting at the top of the plant (where you see the photo of the stem) because as you go down further to the bottom more seeds appear.

Put the slices in a colander and load up with salt (the salt removes the juices to make it sweeter; as you go along in the season the juices that seep out will become browner; I use Morton's Lite Salt as I don't eat a lot of salt) and let sit in the colander for 15-30 minutes.

Dry the slices off and get the salt off with a paper towel.

Dip in cornbread meal and fry until brown in EVOO or regular oil. DO NOT put the slices in the frying pan until the oil is hot or the eggplant will be oily and the corn meal will fall off.

Remove slices from oil and drain on a plate covered with paper towels. Let them sit a little; the slices retain the heat!!

Toast American Italian bread (you know the kind I mean that is in every grocery store and it really isn't Italian bread) slices (3/4' to 1" thick) OR use San Francisco Sour Dough Bread (toast or not toast).

Spread bread (both pieces) with butter (I use my fave low fat).

Spread thick slices of low fat Philadelphia cream cheese on top of the butter on each piece OR use provolone or mozzarella slices.

Put the warm eggplant slices on the cheese. Douse with salt. Again, I use Morton's Lite Salt.

Douse with Texas Pete or Tabasco. (I am a transplanted Yankee and when I moved from there we didn't even have Texas Pete so I would have used Tabasco but now I am ensconced in the South so I use Texas Pete which actually has a better flavor)

Add a slice or two of sweet onion or red onion on top if you wish.

Put top piece of bread on and eat.

Messy so have a lot of napkins on hand.

I always take an acid reducer before I eat this. NOTE: You can make this same sandwich with SLICED GREEN TOMATOES (and then you might an additional acid reducer) sliced 3/4" (approx) thick. The cooked tomatoes will do more of a job on your stomach. This is awesome! I used to drink with beer but my stomach can't take it so I just drink water. It doesn't go with wine or lemonade or tea.

About my food blog at http://www.internationalfoodblog.blogspot.comI like to write about food in context often with food of a country or area of a country, a news event, a soap opera, a horse race: all focused on food and travel.

See miscellaneous photos of Tuscany below and below that see what was for lunch!!

Lunch is normal "peasant" food served outside of the rambling stone farmhouse that features a glassy saltwater pool set into the grass, awesome Tuscan hill views under the shade-giving fig tree in sunny and 90 degree weather.

Forget North Carolina humidity!! Wish I could be there!!!!!!!

Fusilli with a raw tomato sauce

Lamb spiked with rosemary and garlic and roasted in the wood-burning oven

Her love and specialty is international and ethnic cuisine. The purpose of the blogs she writes is to educate the public about ethnic foods worldwide.

She also takes nature photos.

In the Past, Christine took cooking and wine classes on several occasions in Pennsylvania at the Sweetwater Art Center in Sewickley, Pa, The Wooden Angel Restaurant in Beaver, PA and other sites.

Christine Willard is a retired Realtor from Greensboro and High Point North Carolina. She had been a real estate agent with Greater Triad Homes and Select Realty of the Triad (her own companies) and with major franchises such as Prudential, Century 21 and Re/Max She had been a real estate agent for 30 years. She specialized in home search, distressed properties, short sales, helping people avoid foreclosure and was an internet marketing specialist for sellers. She's has been married to her husband for 26 years.

She taught French and English in public education in Pennsylvania and Ohio for 23 years. She was Foreign Language Department Head and she helped create and write a foreign language pass/fail curriculum course for the PA Education Department which included equal modules of Spanish, French and German.

She recived a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University. She also studied at Bethany College, Youngstown State University, Robert Morris University and the University of Wisconsin where she did post-graduate work in France and French Canada.

Previously, Christine has lived in Germany, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Ohio, West Virginia and Michigan. She also has experience in public education (23 years) teaching French and English, secretarial services, modeling and public service. Her interests include classical music, jazz, gourmet cooking, wine, photography, reading, her family, her dogs and walking.

She has traveled to/and or lived in 10 countries and 26 states.

She owns over 500 cookbooks and 300 herbs and spices and loves to do research on cooking from other countries. She subscribes to several magazines featuring food articles and recipes. She has also created her own personal versions of herbs and spices.

Memberships and Designations.

In 1960 she receive the Secretary of the Month through New Castle Business College. She was a member of the National Association of Realtors, North Carolina of Realtors, the Triad MLS, the Greensboro Regional Realtors Association and the High Point Regional Realtors Association. She was a member of GRI (Graduate Realtors Institute), CRS (Certified Realtor Services), RECS (Real Estate Cyberspace Specialist), e-Pro (certified e-professional), LMC (Loan Mitigation Consultant and a PME (Property Marketing Expert).